


DanganRonpa: A Game of Life and Death

by ultimatefuzzypickles



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Another Episode, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-28 12:05:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11417610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultimatefuzzypickles/pseuds/ultimatefuzzypickles
Summary: A story about another killing school life that takes place with my OCs. If you take the time to read it, I hope you like it! I worked really hard on this and would love to know what you think!Yeah, I hate the name too. I came up with it in a hurry.





	1. Prologue - Part I

**[[The first part of the prologue is really short, but it gets pretty long after this, so... yeah]]**

The old building towered over its surroundings as it always had. Many people have come here and left, most of them becoming influential people and finding success wherever they go. Apparently, your fate is sealed once you get accepted here. If you were to get scouted to this school, you'd have no trouble getting into college, getting a job, or pretty much anything else. Hope's Peak Academy, huh...

**If only that still held true.**

The infamous Tragedy seemed to have brought an end to everything; the successes, the failures, and the academy itself. Speaking of which... my memories of the aforementioned Tragedy... They're kind of **hazy.** I remember the Tragedy itself, and how the state of things right now has been this way for **at least three years,** but... **Something's missing.** I can't recall what exactly it was that caused all this. All I seem to remember is the despair that came as a result of it. _Amazing._ I totally needed another problem to occur.

Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. Assuming that you care... I'm **Satoshi.** **Satoshi Minoru.** And why am I babbling about Hope's Peak Academy and The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History? Why am I standing in front of the academy at all? Because I'm one of the idiots that's been accepted here. I know that makes it sound like I have some really interesting talent that makes me stand out from my peers, but trust me: I really don't. The only reason I'm here is because I'm the **Super High School Level Lucky Student.** _Lucky student._ Do they really count that as a talent? Because I honestly don't deserve to be here. My spot in this school could've gone to some other talented individual, but... it's me. Luck is strange, huh?

Uh... you're supposed to describe your personality in an introduction, right? Well, I'm just your ordinary Joe, pretty much. You know how it is. The typical 'completely normal' teenager, sarcastic as people in my age group tend to be. There's really nothing that stands out about me. My personality, my interests, my strengths or weaknesses, or any possible talent I could've had. Which brings us back to the topic of Hope's Peak.

To be honest... I don't understand the circumstances behind my acceptance either. According to the letter I received, they want to continue regular activities since the effects of the Tragedy appear to be slowing down, but isn't it still a bit too soon to start recruiting new students?

... Oh, well. I guess it can't be helped. I suppose it's best to just not ask too many questions. Time to enter the great Hope's Peak Academy. Let's see how things go.

...

Naturally, the worst case scenario had to unfold. The world started getting blurry as soon as I stepped forward, my vision going black.

I opened my eyes and took in the scene before me. That's odd... I had been outside a second ago. But now I'm in what appears to be a classroom. Is this Hope's Peak? And if so, how did I end up here? I turned my throbbing head to get a better look at the place. For some reason, the windows were covered with what looked like steel plates. There was also a monitor in front of the room, along with a camera. So I'm probably being watched...

Scanning the room one more time, a piece of paper lying on a desk caught my eye. I picked it up and read the messily scrawled words on it.

_"Congratulations on enrolling._

_You guys are well on your way to becoming the hopes of the world._

_That being said, please gather in the entrance hall at 8 AM."_

You guys? I'm assuming that means everyone else got the same letter. 8 AM... My eyes darted to the clock in front of me. The time just so happens to be 8:00. I took a deep breath, opened the classroom door and headed out, ready to find out just what happened between the time I was outside and when I ended up here. Time to look for the entrance hall.


	2. Prologue - Part II

I made my way to what I'm only assuming could be the entrance hall. I pushed open the doors to find a whole crowd of people in there already. Behind them, what must have once been the door leading outside is covered by a huge metal hatch and armed with guns on either side. Very welcoming. I feel completely at home. I scanned the - what, 15? - faces in front of me as they seemed to be observing me the same way. So these are the Super High School Level students of Hope's Peak Academy...

"Uh, hi-" I began to talk, but was cut off by an enthusiastic voice.

"Another new kid, huh? That makes sixteen of us, then!" This voice came from a tall, tanned dude.

"I must say, your timing is impeccable." This time, the source of the voice is a black haired girl with a rather remarkable... chest size.

I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off by someone else:

"It's not his fault; none of us have alarm clocks in our bodies. He came as early as he could, right? All that matters is that all of us are here. This _is_ all of us, isn't it? No more late arrivals?" This short speech is made by a graceful looking girl with soft purple eyes and her brown hair in a side bun.

"And there you contradict yourself," smirks a boy with brown hair, "Saying it's okay if one person is late but hoping there's no others... Oh, well. Yes, from what I've heard, there's 16 students in each class at this place."

"And how reliable can your hearsay be?" scoffs a short girl with long black hair.

"No need to worry about that," chuckles a tall dude with hair just as dark, ruffling her hair, "If anyone else does decide to show up, we'll just have to deal with it."

The girl looks pretty pissed about having been touched.

"So, if that's all of us, is it time for introductions?" smiles a girl with her light brown hair tied into a ponytail on the side of her head.

"Would be nice to get to know each other if we're gonna have to spend quite a while together," agrees a redheaded boy.

And with that, people started introducing themselves to each other. I scanned the room, looking for someone to start with. My eyes fell upon a boy about as tall as I am, with messy dirty blond hair and gray-blue eyes. He's wearing a blue, almost gray t-shirt with long sleeves and an apron on top. As I approached him, he smiled and waved at me. He seems like a nice guy.

"Hi," I said, waving back, "I'm Satoshi-"

I stopped myself when I noticed the slightly embarrassed, apologetic smile on his face. It seemed like he didn't understand what I was saying. Did he speak a different language, then? He began signing something with his hands. Just then, the girl with the side bun from earlier walked up to us.

"Hey there! I couldn't help but notice this guy using sign language. I'm assuming **he's deaf** then, the poor thing."

After having spoken, she starts signing something to him as he smiles gratefully and replies. What they were saying, I have no idea. I notice that she's wearing a pale blue t-shirt with an orange bolero on top, and a darker orange skirt with black knee-length tights underneath.

"You know sign language, then?" I asked.

"Mhmm," she nodded with a sweet smile, "I used to help out at a school for deaf children." She signed as she went along, "It's okay. I can be your interpreter from now on! So, what's your name?"

She paused as he signed something back. " **Kenshin Takeuchi, Super High School Level Artist** , he says. Nice to meet you."

"Satoshi Minoru," I reply as she signs my words to Kenshin, "Super High School Level Lucky Student. Nice to meet you, too. And what would your name be?"

She continues to sign as she speaks. "Oh, I'm **Etsuko Shinobu**! I'm the **Super High School Level Poet**. I hope we can get along!"

The smile on her face radiates sincerity and cheerfulness. These two honestly seem like really nice people. They also seem like they'll get along well. Maybe being here won't be so bad after all. I headed towards the next person I saw: a really tall girl with warm gold eyes and light blue hair tied into two buns at the top of her head. She's wearing a black furisode kimono with a white floral pattern, the background color going in a soft gradient to white at the bottom. The number of tall people here is making me feel short. I introduce myself to her and she replies politely.

"My name is **Shiori Nakahara**. I'm the **Super High School Level Florist**. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you, too," I reply. The talent suits her well.

"By the way," she starts, "I've been meaning to ask someone, but **did you wake up in one of the rooms here too**?"

"Ah, so I'm assuming that's how it is for the rest of you, too. Yes, I woke up in a classroom with no idea how I had gotten there."

"I see... It's strange, is it not?"

"Indeed it is," says a really tall guy with dark brown hair and glasses. As he reaches up to adjust them, I noticed something incredibly strange about his hand: he had an extra finger. He must have noticed the surprise on my face, because the next thing I knew, he was saying:

" **Daichi Matsuoka**. **Super High School Level Polydactyl**. Before you ask, no, that's not an actual talent, and no, I don't feel strange having more fingers than anyone around me. Why was I accepted here? Likely because the academy wants to see if polydactyly has any links to talent. I hope that answers everything. Nice meeting you."

Well, then. I introduced myself to him, too, not really knowing what else to say. He seems like the kind of guy that keeps things to the point, only doing what needs to be done. Pretty efficient. Not a time waster. Shiori, on the other hand, is more delicate. Every move she made overflowed with grace, and she was in no way the kind of person to hurry things. Having met these two contrasting personalities, I moved on to the next person. This time I decided to approach two girls who seemed to be introducing themselves to each other. One of them was the girl with the light brown hair who had started this whole introduction thing, and the other was the black haired one who had commented on my punctuality.

"Nice tie, by the way," said the brown haired one, "Say, 'fuzzy pickles!'"

While her companion only replied with a confused "What?" at least half of the people in the room stopped what they were doing to ask, "You've played EarthBound?!" The girl smiled at them all as they returned to their own conversations. The power of gaming, I guess...? I was about to go and talk to them when:

"Quite the moodmaker, isn't she?" A voice asked from beside me.

I turned to see the brown haired boy who had said Etsuko was contradicting herself.

"You know, according to my research, references to works of fiction tend not only to improve the mood, but also to increase the popularity of both the work of fiction being mentioned and the one mentioning it, in the case of one thing referencing another. I mean, no one said we're not in a fictional world somewhere, right? Speaking of which, you should totally look up the multiple universe theory. It's pretty cool. Name's **Hisao Tamaki** , by the way," he continued, holding out a hand, " **SHSL Researcher**."

I shook his hand and introduced myself to him, too. After that, he was off, and I tried to talk to the two from earlier just to find that the shorter of the two, the brown haired one, was already gone. Oh, well. I'll catch up to her eventually. For now, I decided to introduce myself to the one that still stood where she was. Her reply was simple and to the point.

"I'm **Hitomi Kimura** , the **Super High School Level Pilot**. Nice meeting you."

She held out a hand for me to shake, which I did. She had a firm grip. Overall, she kind of scared me. Maybe it was the unwavering serious look on her face, or maybe her piercing red eyes seemed to be staring into my soul, but her presence just seemed kind of overwhelming. I spotted the shorter black haired girl nearby and decided to introduce myself to her, too. Before I could speak, she did.

" **Aki Hoshino**. **Super High School Level Mountaineer**. You?"

She was so short I wouldn't have expected it, but she was pretty scary too. The way she spoke made me feel like I didn't want to mess with her or I'd end up getting hurt.

"S- Satoshi Minoru," I replied, "Super High School Level Lucky Student. Nice to meet you."

"You too, I guess," she sighed with a roll of her eyes.

Yikes™. Anyway... next I spotted two guys talking to each other and decided to speak to them. One of them had been the first to speak, the other the redhead who was last. I waited for an opening, said hello and introduced myself, then waited for them to reply.

"Hey!" the redhead went first, "I'm Ichi Moshiro- I mean, **Michi Oshiro**." He laughed at his own mistake. It was a wholehearted, carefree laugh. "I'm the **Super High School Level Arachnologist**. Nice to meetcha."

He seems like a pretty nice guy.

"And I'm **Yuudai Kanemaru** ," said the other. He was tall and tan, with pinkish brown hair. " **Super High School Level Magician** here. Hope we don't end up hating each other!"

The three of us talked a little about our situation and then I went off to see who else I hadn't introduced myself to yet. I happened to notice the brown haired girl who had run off earlier talking to two others: A tallish girl with short, spiked purple hair and a second, much shorter girl with short red hair. I started to walk towards the three when I was interrupted by someone tapping my shoulder. I turned to see the tall guy who had ruffled Aki's hair earlier.

"Dude," he said, "Your fly's down."

"What?!" I asked, embarrassed, and looked down to see if it really was. How many people have I talked to without noticing?!

It wasn't.

"Gotcha," he smirked, knocking at my head.

I felt stupid for falling for it.

"Anyway, might as well get to know each other. My name's **Noritaka Shibuya**. I'm the **Super High School Level Thief**. You'd better keep your possessions safe," he winked, "And your heart."

"M- My... heart?"

"Kidding, kidding!" he chuckled. He seemed to be having fun with all of this. "Loosen up a little, dude!"

"Y- Yeah. Anyway, I'm Satoshi Minoru, SHSL Lucky Student."

"Well, nice to meet you, Satoshi," he said, walking off, "You'd better keep an eye on that heart of yours."

Okay. We've got a jokester here, I guess. When I finally got to go up to the group from earlier... the brown haired girl was gone again...? She's too fast! Will I ever get to talk to her at all?

"Hey there!" the purple haired girl says. With blue eyes, pale skin, and an outfit comprising a t shirt, a purple skirt, and a leather jacket, I expected her to be a guitarist or something. Her next statement kind of surprised me.

"I'm **Kazumi Yanai** , **Super High School Level Pianist**. Nice to meetcha!"

She seemed kind of hesitant. Only slightly, but it was there. Either way, she covered it up with a smile. I introduced myself, then asked about the red haired girl. She was probably the shortest person in the room right now. Her big emerald eyes shone like mirrors, and yet they had a slightly doll-like, lifeless quality to them. Her skinny frame completed the doll look. Her response to my question was an inaudible mumble.

"Pardon?" I asked.

" **Sora**... **Sora Akiyama** ," she said, " **Super High School Level Designer**."

Well, her outfit would make it look that way. It was similar to a school uniform, but a bit fancier. More ruffles, puffed sleeves. Finally, I approached a girl and a boy who had apparently just finished introducing themselves to each other. The girl was tall and tan with purple-brown hair and sly magenta eyes, while the boy had hair such a light lavender it was almost white. I did the usual and they replied, as always.

"Name's **Chiasa Yasutake** ," the girl said, " **Super High School Level Circus Performer**."

"And I'm **Katsuo Shimizu** , the **SHSL Soccer Player**. It's nice to meet you."

While Chiasa seemed like a mischievous kind of person, Katsuo was much more reserved and modest. With that done, I thought, so were the introductions. I had forgotten about a **certain someone**.

"Hi there!" an enthusiastic voice said from behind me, "I don't think we've been introduced!"

Ah, my energetic friend, we meet at last.

"Yeah," I replied, "So, what's your name?"

"So, what's your name?" she asked.

"I... asked you first," I said.

"I asked you second!" she grins.

"I- okay then. I'm Satoshi Minoru, Super High School Level Lucky Student."

"And I'm **Mariko Takagi**! And my talent is... I'm the **Super High School Level Butcher**!"

A butcher? I wouldn't expect a talent like that from someone so upbeat and vibrant. Oh, well. That does it for introductions, I guess.


	3. Prologue - Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the final part of the prologue. Now, let the game begin! :')

**[[Also, a note: Since the DR games have had to show murders and executions on screen while also keeping their games' rating at 17+, they had to keep things a little less... gory(?) than they had initially planned (See Kazuo Matsuzaki's (beta Leon) execution). Since I don't have any similar concerns, expect slightly different murders and such. I realize I didn't need to waste words saying this, but whatever. Here's the chapter!]]**

I kind of felt relieved, having finally spoken to everyone. They were all talented individuals, better than I was, but they felt so... normal. What I mean is... they all had pretty unique personalities, but they weren't as intimidating as I had anticipated. They felt like people I could talk to, get along with, befriend.

"Now that that's all over with," Daichi said, "Isn't it about time we discuss **the real issue** here?"

"Would've been better if we got that out of the way _before_ wasting our time getting to know each other," Aki scoffed.

"And it would be even better," Noritaka teased her with a smirk, "If you stopped being so uptight about everything."

"Either way," Yuudai crossed his arms, "I was trying to ignore any problems for as long as possible."

"Well, there's no point avoiding the inevitable," Hitomi stated, "Dodging trouble simply makes it worse."

"Indeed," Shiori agreed, "So... how many of us suddenly woke up in a room here? Could we have a show of hands?"

Sixteen hands went up. Etsuko was the first to speak after that.

"Something is definitely wrong with that... is what Kenshin says." I had noticed she was translating everything for him as we spoke.

"Do you think they're trying to... _**KILL US**?!" _ Chiasa said, sneaking up behind Katsuo to startle him.

"No, I don't think that's the case..." said Michi, shaking his head. "It'd be much easier to just get it over with than all this, don't you think? Anyway, what about the **steel plates**?"

"Oh, you mean the ones over all the windows?" Mariko asked, "I did think those looked sinister."

"Yeah," Hisao nodded, "Not to mention **all my stuff's missing**. I had some important notes on my phone!"

Something else seemed a little off too. I craned my head to look at the door, which was now covered by a metal hatch.

"And there's the door thing," I mentioned.

"Then are we... are we... **trapped** in here?" Sora mumbled, tears filling her eyes.

"We can't give up on that yet," Kazumi said, putting a hand on Sora's shoulder. "I'm sure there's some way out of here."

"It's a school, for fuck's sake," Aki added, "There's no fucking way we're just trapped in here. And when I find that goddamn exit, I'm busting us out of here."

"That is, if we're really trapped in here at all..." said Katsuo. "Maybe this is normal for Hope's Peak..."

Before anyone had a chance to reply, a little monitor on the wall turned itself on, a silhouette appearing in front of an unidentifiable background. The voice that followed felt grossly out of place. It was raspy, but way too cheerful. Everyone immediately focused their attention on the monitor.

"Ahem! Mic test, mic test! Oh, whatever. I know you can hear me. Welcome, everyone, to Hope's Peak Academy! We'll be having an **entrance ceremony** to welcome you and make you feel at home here, so get your asses to the gym immediately! I'll be waiting!"

"Whoa! That was trippy, don't you think?" Mariko asked.

"Tell me about it," Hisao agreed. "Well, I'll see you in the gym." With that, he walked off.

"Yeah, I guess there's no point in staying here," Mariko said. She, too, headed to the gym.

"Man, this had better not be some kind of lowly prank," Yuudai said, leaving the room.

Slowly, one by one, people left to go to the gym, until only a few of us were left; namely, me, Kazumi, Hitomi, Noritaka, Michi, and Shiori. We decided to go as a group. Once we got there, a discussion started again, everyone wondering what this could mean. The way things were set up, it did look like a regular entrance ceremony, though. That should've made me feel more relaxed, but... it kind of made me more uneasy. Like Yuudai had said, maybe this was all some kind of prank. Maybe it was something ominous hidden behind the guise of an entrance ceremony. Or maybe it was just completely normal and I was overthinking things after everything that had happened. There was no real way to tell.

Everyone's attention turned to the podium at the far end of the gym when suddenly, a little... teddy bear jumped up onto it. Personally, I had trouble believing my eyes. The bear was half black and half white, its white half looking innocent, but its red-eyes black half bearing a menacing grin.

"Well, aren't you guys a bunch of party poopers!" the voice was the same unpleasant yet upbeat one as before.

The bear looked around the room at our shocked faces, and let out a sigh.

"Oh, well, I've seen this reaction before. I welcome you to Hope's Peak Academy!"

"Yeah?" Aki asked. Her voice was full of scorn and disdain, "And who the fuck are you?"

"Well, well, quite cantankerous, aren't we? **I'm Monokuma, and I'm your Headmaster**!"

"A teddy bear for a headmaster?" Hisao chuckled, "What's next, do we have a bunny for a teacher?"

"A teddy bear? Wrong! I'm Monokuma! Your headmaster! And there's no filthy, stupid bunnies anywhere around here!"

"Yeah, now I'm totally convinced this isn't real, you guys," Yuudai said, putting his hands on his hips, "There's no way this isn't some toy with a speaker inside."

"How many times do I have to say it? I'm not a toy. I'm utterly hurt that you think I- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

We were all startled when he suddenly raised his voice. None of us had noticed Mariko walking up onto the raised area where the podium stood, and now she was poking the bear in its side with an inquisitive look on her face.

"Teehee!" she giggled, "I was just testing to see if you really are a teddy bear or not."

"Jeez, all this comparison to teddy bears is just...unBEARable." He looked... dejected, if a bear with a constant grin can look dejected. Everyone groaned at the lame pun.

"Anyway, we've been dilly-dallying for too long. It's time to get started! Good morning, everyone!"

No one replied but Shiori.

"Good morning!" she said, with a slight bow.

We were just too shocked at how unreal all of this felt. Not only had we mysteriously been moved to various locations around the school, but now a stuffed, likely robotic bear was trying to tell us it was the Headmaster of Hope's Peak. Was any of this real? Was I dreaming? Who knows?

"So, first, let's talk about what your life here at Hope's Peak will be like. I'm sure you all realize that as the talented students selected by this school, you all represent the hope of this world."

"Typical opening speech," Noritaka whispered to me.

"And, of course," Monokuma continued,  "Hope must be protected. Kept safe from all potential harm. And for that reason, you will all live together within this school building. Everyone will stay here in peace, following the rules and regulations set by the school. How long will this last, you may be wondering?"

Everyone stood frozen in place, awaiting the answer. Not such a typical speech anymore, huh?

" _ **Forever**."_

"Forever?" Etsuko asked.

"Forever," Monokuma repeated, "You'll be here until the day you die, however far that day may be. Or... however close." The last part was spoken with extra malice.

"Oh, but don't worry about running out of resources!" he continued, "We have more than you could ever want. Food, clothing, you name it!"

"I don't think comfort is what we really care about right now..." Kazumi said.

"Damn right it isn't," Aki agreed, "You're saying we're fucking trapped in here?"

"I doubt it," Daichi said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Either there's some way out of here or he's just lying."

"Lying? I assure you, I'm not lying! Oh, but Four-eyes here is right about a way out- oops, it seems I'm getting ahead of myself. Before we get to that, I'd like to inform you that you have no more connection to the outside world. No internet, television, nothing. And I'm sure you're all glad that you don't have to think about that wasteland anymore, what with that Tragedy thing going on!"

"So... all the metal plates, and that hatch on the main entrance, they're there to keep us trapped in here?" I already knew the answer, but I had to ask anyway.

"BINGO! WE HAVE A WINNER! That's exactly why they're there. Now no one can get in, and no one can get out! It's nothing but you guys for the rest of your lives! Go wild! Keeping the school rules in mind, of course."

"Can't believe such a prestigious school set up such a terrible joke," Yuudai said, "Not even the most naive of people would fall for this."

"Of course," Katsuo started, "I doubt we're actually trapped."

"I doubt this, I doubt that... Stop being so stubborn and listen to me!" Monokuma looked annoyed now. "I get that you're in denial because this isn't what you would've expected, but all of this is completely, 100% real. I thought you all came to Hope's Peak because you _wanted_ to. Maybe I should be the one doubting that now. I haven't even finished the entrance ceremony and all of you already want out! Well, let's get back to the escape method I mentioned earlier, then. You all seem eager to want to use it."

"Please tell us how!" Michi requested.

"To get out of this school, return to the horrible outside world, and continue with your life... you must simply disrupt the harmony here."

"Disrupt the harmony? What do you mean?" Hitomi asked.

"Isn't it obvious? By committing **murder**!"

"Murder?!" I asked. Obviously, we were all shocked at the idea.

"Yes indeed! It doesn't matter how you do it; stab them, burn them, drown them, strangle them, crush them, bludgeon them... as long as you kill someone, you've earned your ticket out of here! Doesn't that make for a fair deal?"

No one knew what to say. All I could do was hope no one was actually taking this seriously. We weren't going to kill each other, even if we were practically strangers.

"Upupupu!" Monokuma laughed. It was a strange, yet frighteningly cheerful laugh. "Nothing beats seeing faces like these, all drowned in despair... I bet some of you are already planning your escape! The death of hope brings the birth of despair, don't you agree? Isn't it the most exciting thing in the world?"

"Killing each other..." Sora said softly, "There's no way any of us would..." She stopped speaking.

"We're not killing each other," Katsuo reinforced Sora's statement.

"The only thing I'm killing is you, once I find the chance," Yuudai said, but his voice had a slight undertone of... fear?

"And once that's done with, Kenshin says, we're all getting out of here!" Etsuko spoke on Kenshin's behalf.

"You guys keep blabbering on about getting out of here... why don't you understand? **You're trapped**! Stuck here! There's no way out! This school is your world now! And if you don't like that, just go and kill someone! Go on a killing spree if you want! There's no other way out! Got it?"

"Alright, I've had enough of this," Aki said, marching up to the podium, "I'll tell _you_ who's killing who today-"

She tried to grab Monokuma, but he swiftly dodged her arms. She tried again, but Monokuma was too fast. This time, instead of going straight ahead and reaching for him, she pretended to be doing it in one direction, and when he inevitably dodged it, she got a hold of him. Now, with the bear under her, she held her fist ready.

"Violence against the Headmaster is against the rules!" Monokuma exclaimed.

"There won't be any rules when you're dead," Aki replied.

Suddenly, Monokuma went silent.

"Pffft," Noritaka held back a laugh, "He's gone already."

The silence was way too sudden and suspicious to just have been Monokuma shutting down, though. Aki seemed to have noticed what was up, too, because she seemed incredibly focused on her surroundings. Suddenly, she leaped off the stage, and as soon as her feet left the ground, a dozen spears came shooting out of the ground.

"Fucking hell," she said, "This really is for real."

"I'm more impressed at how you knew what was coming," Hisao remarked.

"She's a mountaineer," Hitomi replied, "She has to have good reflexes."

"Obviously," Aki said, "And mountaineering means keeping all your senses alert, training them to detect even the smallest occurrences."

"On the bright side, the bear's dead!" Michi said,  pointing at where Monokuma lay, a spear stabbed right through the middle of his body.

"Dead?" The voice was Monokuma's. "Like hell I'm dead!"

He jumped out of nowhere as if nothing had happened, what appeared to be his second self still lying where it had.

"It'll take a lot more than one lousy spear to get rid of me! Next time any of you tries to break the rules, you'll end up like that guy over there!" Monokuma gestured towards the other... Monokuma.

"How many of you are there?" Katsuo asked.

"More than you can count," Monokuma answered, "There's Monokumas all around the school, not to mention the security cameras. So make sure you're all good little boys and girls and follow the rules."

"Punishing someone with death is just... wrong," Kazumi said.

"Now, to conclude our entrance ceremony," Monokuma said, completely ignoring her, "I'd like to give you... these!"

He held out a bunch of what looked like smartphones, but different.

"This is the school **e-Handbook**! Pretty cool, isn't it? These babies are absolutely essential to your school life, so don't go losing them. They also display your full name on startup, so you can make sure you've got the right one. Not only that, but it's resistant to pretty much everything, from water to pressure and more! It also contains all the school rules, so you guys had better read them. That's all for now. Enjoy your lives here, and... See ya!"

And with that, he was gone, just as suddenly as he had arrived. No one had any words, but one look around the room gave everything away. In everyone's eyes, there was hostility and fear. All we could do was wonder if anyone would betray us. Of course no one wanted to stay here forever. But... could one of these guys really be planning to get out of here by killing someone?

There was no real way to tell.

**[[Fact of the day: (I'm considering putting a random fact at the end of each chapter) Sweet, shy Sora was originally going to be a _bitch_. I think I'm happier with her new self.]]**


	4. Chapter 1 - Daily Life

Kill someone to escape, Monokuma had said. I felt lost. Lost and afraid. I could tell everyone else felt the same. We were all just frozen where we stood, most of our emotions blatantly visible on our faces. I told myself to move. To calm down. There was no way we would actually kill anyone, right? Yet, I felt the same doubt and fear as I had been all along. The suddenness of everything was just overwhelming. The silence that filled the room seemed eternal... until it was broken.

"Hasn't there been enough standing and staring?"

The voice was Hitomi's. She... wasn't wrong.

"I was waiting for someone to say that," Daichi replied.

"Waiting around isn't gonna fix anything," I agreed, "But what do we do now?"

"Maybe look for a way out, Sherlock?" Aki chided.

"Yeah, sure, that's a thing, but we might wanna check out these handbooks first," Hisao said, "Maybe there's some kind of clue hidden in here?"

"That, and the **school regulations** Monokuma mentioned. It's probably best to check those out before one of us gets... **punished** without meaning to," Katsuo nodded.

"That would be terrible," Etsuko said, "Please, let's make sure nothing like that happens."

With that, we all turned on our handbooks. The first thing to show up on my screen was my full name, just as Monokuma had said it would. I selected the "Regulations" icon from the menu that appearedand sure enough, there was a full list of rules for us to follow.

**"1. Students must remain within the school campus at all times."**

Yeah, I don't see how we're expected to leave, with Monokuma saying there's no exits anywhere and the main entrance covered by a hatch.

**"2. The time between 10 PM and 7 AM will be referred to as Nighttime. During Nighttime, some areas in the school are off-limits, so please be careful.**

**3\. Sleeping outside the dormitory area is strictly prohibited.**

**4\. You are free to explore Hope's Peak Academy with minimal restrictions.**

**5\. Violence against the Headmaster and destruction of school property is not allowed under any circumstances.**

**6\. Anyone who kills a fellow student and becomes the "blackened" will be allowed to graduate, unless they are found out.**

**7\. Additional rules may be added as deemed necessary."**

I felt a little sick after reading all of that. The others seemed to be feeling the same.

"What is this, the military?" Noritaka asked, "Are we really expected to follow this Nighttime thing?"

"Try wandering around during Nighttime and we'll see what you think about it afterwards," Hitomi said.

"I mean, it's not like it wouldn't be interesting to see what happens if someone does break the rules," said Chiasa.

"Kenshin doesn't think he'd like to find out," Etsuko said, "And neither do I."

"You're... probably right," Noritaka said.

"So... we're all following the rules, then?" Sora asked.

"Yeah," Mariko nodded, "But I found one thing in here that Monokuma didn't mention."

"Is it about the part where it says "unless they are found out?"" I asked her.

"Yup, that's the one."

"So it isn't as simple as a stab, then," Michi mused.

"Well, at least that makes it harder for anyone to kill, right?" Kazumi shrugged.

"Yeah," Yuudai agreed, "But how would anyone be found out, anyway?"

"Who knows?" Kazumi asked.

"Oh, well, there's no point in worrying about all of that now," Mariko said.

"Indeed," Shiori agreed, "Perhaps it would be of more use to search the school to get a better idea of the place. We need to know where everything is, food especially."

"She's right," Hisao added, "And we might find a way out of here."

"Isn't that what I've been saying this whole goddamn time?" Aki said with a sigh.

"So, are we splitting up or going in groups?" Michi asked.

"I'll be going alone," Daichi said.

"I'd want to go with someone else, if that's okay," Sora murmured.

"You can come with me if you want," Mariko answered.

"I'll be with Kenshin," Etsuko stated.

By the time everything was sorted out, only me and Katsuo were left over, so we decided to search as a pair. Afterwards, we agreed, we'd meet up at the dormitory dining hall. First, we headed to the entrance hall to try and see if there was any way to get rid of the hatch. That plan didn't last long after we noticed a pair of guns mounted above it. Needless to say, we wanted to make it back in one piece. There also seemed to be a mailbox of sorts in one corner, but it was empty. Overall, the search wasn't very productive.

We returned to the dormitory area to try our luck at finding something out there. All we discovered was some taped off areas. One was labeled "BATH," so we decided to assume that that's what it was. The other area, a door, however, wasn't labeled or anything, so there's no telling what's behind there. Part of me wanted to try to bust it open, but rule 5 stopped me. No damage to school property...

Katsuo suggested we keep searching this area, since the others were probably taking care of the rest. The dorm rooms, we noticed, each had a nameplate on the doors. There was one for each of us. There was also a trash room with some kind of trap door on the floor. Who knows where that leads? We also found a staircase going up near the taped off door, but it was completely blocked off by some kind of metal gate. Try as we might, it wouldn't budge. I mean, it's not like I'm the strongest of people, anyway, but still. Finally, other than the dining hall, there was a laundry room, which was open. I guess that's all there is to the dorm area. And speaking of the dining hall, we saw some people going there already. We decided that we should go back, too, since there wasn't much left to do.

While most people had returned, a few were still missing. We agreed to wait for them before we started discussing what we had found. Soon enough, everyone was back.

"So, let's discuss our findings," Hitomi said. Although she seemed calm, her tone of voice made it sound like an order.

"Well, for starters, there's plenty of food in the kitchen, and all kinds of it too," Chiasa started. She had gone with Shiori and Yuudai, the latter joining them because he didn't want to search alone because someone might already be planning to kill.

"That's a relief," Etsuko said, "But will it last long? There are sixteen of us, after all."

"I think it should," Yuudai said, "Monokuma said the place is restocked every day. At least we can assume that it's fresh food we're eating."

"Wait, you met Monokuma?" Michi asked.

"We did," Shiori affirmed, "During our investigation, he suddenly appeared, provided us with this information, and then vanished as quickly as he had come."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing..." Noritaka said.

"What if the food is poisoned, though?" Mariko asked.

"Then I guess it's just too bad for us," Hisao smirked.

"Do you really think they'd poison the food after telling us to kill each other?" Daichi asked. It was clear he didn't want an answer.

" _Anyway_ ," Mariko said, "Are we up next?"

"I suppose we could go next," nodded Etsuko, "The four of us found a room that was taped off in the main school area."

"Wait, four of you?" I asked, "Weren't you with Kenshin?"

"I was, but then we met Mariko and Sora and decided to group up. It was probably safer like that, anyway."

"I see. Carry on."

"Well, the infirmary was sealed up, which seems a little inconvenient," she said.

"What if somebody gets hurt?" Sora continued.

"I guess we just have to deal with it if we can't get in," Noritaka shrugged.

"There's also this weird red door that's locked," Aki said. She had gone alone. "No idea what that's for."

"We'll have to wait till we find out, then," Katsuo said.

"No one seems to have mentioned it, but there was also a staircase going up near the entrance to the gym," Daichi asserted, "But it was blocked off by a metal gate."

"Yeah," I acknowledged, "There was also another one in the dorm area, near another sealed door."

"No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't get rid of it, either." Katsuo added.

"So we're stuck on the first floor of the building, at least for now," Hitomi said.

"What about you, Titanic Tits? What'd you find?" Aki asked.

"Nothing of substance... there's an AV room that seems to be fully functional, but other than that everything I saw has already been mentioned."

"We checked out the dorm rooms," Michi said. He had been with Hisao, Noritaka, and Kazumi.

"They're completely soundproof," Noritaka continued, "Someone in one room could scream their lungs out and the person next door would have no idea."

"Other than that," Kazumi said, "the the rooms seem to be completely identical except that only the girls' bathrooms lock."

"And there's a list of rules or something in each room, you might wanna check those out," Hisao added, "I didn't actually look at what they were, but we should."

"They were more information on the rooms than rules," Michi said.

"I guess that leaves us," I said, "We investigated the whole dorm area and the entrance hall."

"The entrance hall is completely sealed thanks to that hatch," Katsuo said,"There's guns above it too, so there's no point in trying to get rid of it. Who knows what might happen."

"In the dorm area, we found a sealed off room near a staircase that's blocked off by some kind of gate. There's also what seems to be a bath, which is also sealed off." I tried to recall anything else I found important about those two places and then continued. "There's also a laundry room next to the bath. That's... all, I guess."

"So for now, we can be certain that there's no other way upstairs." Daichi asked.

After a short discussion about what was going on, we concluded our meeting, as well as deciding to hold similar ones every morning at 7 and at night just before 10. Most of us went back to our rooms, but the others either just hung out or continued searching for a way out. Before anything else, I decided to read whatever was on the paper that was hanging up on the wall.

**"Announcement from Headmaster Monokuma:**

**Each room has been fitted with a lock specially designed to protect against tampering or lock-picking. Try not to lose your room keys, as remaking them is a hassle."**

That sentence reminded me that I should probably keep my key with me at all times. I found it on the table behind me, on a keychain with my full name etched onto it, and put it in my pocket.

**"Your rooms each come with a shower, but please note that the water supply to the bathrooms is turned off at nighttime. Also, the girls' bathrooms come with locks of their own. Finally, you can find a gift in each of your rooms. For the girls, a sewing kit, and for the boys a toolkit. The sewing kit includes a map of all the body's vital organs to aid you if you decide to kill someone. Good luck, girls! For the boys, a strong blow to the head with any of the tools should be enough to do most people in. Again, good luck!"**

... I don't know what to say after reading that. What I do know is that I want to get rid of the notice. I crumpled it up and threw it in the trash. Why is Monokuma so intent on seeing us kill each other?

I feel slightly as though I'm being watched. Turning around, I found out I am. There's a security camera in the room, too, and another one of those monitors. Who ever heard of privacy, right?

... Then again, maybe it's necessary in this situation.

I decided to check out the bathroom to make sure there really is no lock, and that there's nothing wrong with it. It... wouldn't open.

"It's... locked?" I couldn't help asking out loud.

"Locked? Didn't you read the notice? Only the girls' bathrooms lock!" Monokuma had appeared out of nowhere, startling me.

He explained that there was a trick to opening the door, since there was some kind of problem with the fitting of the door. "Isn't it hilarious that the Super High School Level Lucky Student of all people gets the unlucky door?" I rolled my eyes as he disappeared.

**[[The mastermind gave him this room on purpose. They knew all about the lock and whose room this used to be. I also almost accidentally gave out their name/gender.]]**

I don't really feel like hanging out with anyone right now... I need to think.

Collapsing onto my bed, that's exactly what I did. I thought about everything that has happened so far. None of it makes any sense... I'm just so confused. The letters we got were obviously fake now, since the school clearly hasn't reopened. But then... why? Why were we called here? Was it really just because some sadist wants to see us killing each other? And are we really any better off in here than we were outside? I mean, now, no matter where we are, there's the risk of being killed. Killing our classmates- no, our friends, to get out of here only to find ourselves in another disaster... Is that really worth it? Either way, there's just fear in store for us.

... Wait. That's odd. When did I start seeing these guys as friends?

Whatever. That's not important right now. What **is** important is finding out who's behind all of this, and their reasons for doing it. I glanced at the clock. It's around 9 PM. Starting tomorrow, I'll be going to the meeting we agreed on at this time. For now, though, I continued to think. All the questions I had made my head hurt, and eventually, without realizing it, I drifted off to sleep.

**[[Fact of the day: Chiasa was originally named Aki, and Aki was Chiasa. I changed them because of reasons but now I wouldn't have it any other way.]]  
[[Comment who you want to spend your free time with! There's gonna be about 4 free time events, so you could choose 4 different people, the same person 4 times, or whatever else you want to do. EDIT: I've received the comments on who people wanna spend free time with :') ]]**


End file.
